Buying pearls in China

[jerin]

Hi Greenpearls, Raisondetre and Nerida!

I do enjoy reading of your visits to the different markets, please keep on reporting when you go somewhere.

A good back-up would be photos of course!

 

[green perls]

Photos of the loot!

Photos of the loot!

Pearls are hard to photograph!

So, the first photo is of the lavender rope I brought-it is the length of four necklaces!

The second photo is of the earrings I purchased on the fourth floor of the pearl market in Beijing-photos cannot do justice to the lovely colors they have!

Third-my imperfect 12mms-but I think they will be fun!

 

[Caitlin]

Thanks everyone
for pealing the skirts of China back and showing us your buys and sharing your experiences. This is wonderful information whether you are going to China or not. (After the bathrooms I used in India, I am afraid to go to China- I am an old sissy I guess.......)

 

[Raisondetre]

Hey Caitlin, considering I used to be able to time my shopping breaks so I could duck back to the hotel rather than use public bathrooms, I don't blame ya ... I have since spotted "usable" but not clean bathrooms in all the areas I've been to. Hongqiao market in Shanghai, actually the Japanese restaurant just outside, passes the bathroom test.

 

[Nerida]

Hi Caitlin,

I spent 14 hours on an overnight bus from Delhi to Daramshala to visit one of my sons last year (he was about another 2.5 hours out of Daramsala at a monastery) - NOTHING in China even comes CLOSE to my experiences on those buses (sadly, had to go back to Delhi at the end of my visit on another bus!). China is perfectly clean compared to much of India - although I would love to go back to India, minus my anti-materialistic son to shop for gemstones. I accompanied an Indian friend buying wedding jewellery for her son's future brides once about 10 years ago, and I couldn't focus enough to actually buy anything! I was too gobsmacked!

 

[Caitlin]

I saw that about the bathroom in the Japenese restuarant. It was reassuring. I heard China had those squat toilets too and that is what worries me.

I know cows in China aren't eating plastic bags and that is good. I was gobsmaked by culture shock in India. That's a good word for it. I loved the food, though and still eat curried something, often.

I am not used to having people crowd up against me- even shove me. My personal space had a hard adjustment even when I was telling myself it was just another culture and just relax and go with it, it was hard to keep my center, my balance, and my purse.

 

[Raisondetre]

Ha, don't get me started about getting stepped on and shoved in all parts of Asia, except Japan (the Japanese seem to have radar or something). I just do not understand the need to sidle up against any party of moving people when there is perfectly adequate space on either side. Even in Singapore people tend to say excuse me, not allow any time for you to step aside and just hit you anyway. I swear, if that was the case with Western cultures, with my size, I'd have been flattened a long time ago. When I picked up my luggage from the conveyor belt in Shanghai I could not avoid hitting the people surrounding the entire belt who just would not budge because they were too busy looking for their bags. Seriously, your bag wouldn't go missing and pickup would be much faster if people didn't crowd around and not allow people who've picked up their bags to leave.

And squat toilets ... there are still people who don't close the bathroom door in public toilets. The squat toilets at Pudong airport's arrival hall were absolutely filthy. I can't believe it's a newish airport! There's a cleaner there who only mops the floor. At Singapore's airport, the cleaners actually clean ... I wonder what they pay them for ...

 

[GemGeek]

And squat toilets ... there are still people who don't close the bathroom door in public toilets. The squat toilets at Pudong airport's arrival hall were absolutely filthy. I can't believe it's a newish airport! There's a cleaner there who only mops the floor. At Singapore's airport, the cleaners actually clean ... I wonder what they pay them for ...

Octavia was thinking about stowing away with you until she heard about the toilets...

 

[jerin]

Thanks everyone
for pealing the skirts of China back and showing us your buys and sharing your experiences. This is wonderful information whether you are going to China or not. (After the bathrooms I used in India, I am afraid to go to China- I am an old sissy I guess.......)

Plaese Caitlin, can?t you tell as about Indian bathrooms and their likes in other places you have been to?

Inge

 

[Nerida]

Indian bathrooms on our overnight bus trip were just pieces of corrugated iron leaning up against posts (tree branches) over a hole in the ground! No lights, no lighting to get to them, and usually 400m or so from where the bus stopped for the so called "comfort" stop!

In the Weitang pearl and gem market - they were pristine. Certainly there are often squat toilets in China, but usually at least they are made often made of porcelain, rather than holes. There are still some fairly filthy ones - the airport ones like Raison has already said were shocking! Just remember always to take your own tissue no matter where you are in China - it's not often provided!

 

[jerin]

[people who've picked up their bags to leave.

And squat toilets ... there are still people who don't close the bathroom door in public toilets. The squat toilets at Pudong airport's arrival hall were absolutely filthy. I can't believe it's a newish airport! There's a cleaner there who only mops the floor. At Singapore's airport, the cleaners actually clean ... I wonder what they pay them for ...[/QUOTE]


Hi Raisondetre,

I must say I was very impressed by the clean toilets adn the whole airport as such in Singapore!

 

[Nerida]

Singapore, whilst crowded, is clean, pristine, and extremely well ordered. Hong Kong much less so. Caitlin, if you have survived India, you will be absolutely fine in China. Shanghai is sophisticated and vibrant, and as a woman travelling alone, I felt absolutely safe being out and about, catching trains and taxis alone and getting about in China - even at night. I wouldn't care to spend more than an hour out in public as a woman alone in India. China doesn't have the massive issues with people living on the streets and railway stations that you get in India, and whilst you will still see beggars occasionally, it is nothing like the beggar industry that you get in Indian cities and tourist spots. There is nothing like the massive slums in China, and generally, people seem relatively happy. You certainly don't see people urinating on the streets and defacating on the railway tracks like in India. Also the disparity between rich and poor, in my experiences (I've been to both in the past 6 months), is not as enormous or as obvious. You would be fine in China! It is very crowded, and a little intimidating to get about outside the major cities, but it is much more user friendly than India!

 

[Caitlin]

It is very reassuring to hear that about China. My elder daughter has been trying to talk me into China for a year or so, but my memories of India were just too fresh.

You certainly don't see people urinating on the streets and defacating on the railway tracks like in India.

Yes, I did see that multiple times on just one bus ride to the Jakkur airfield in Bangalore. The bus's constant honking was rather grating too.

Being from Arizona, I grew up in large empty spaces, My personal space takes up about 3 acres! I am tense in Tucson Gem show traffic. Jeremy just laughs it off and says even Tuscon's worst doesn't come close to LA!

I have to show you a fairly typical photo on Navajo Nation land where I lived as a teenager..... We all had horses and could go all day without a fence or gate!

This photo is by George Breit, USGS on govt page with no copyright notices.

 

[GemGeek]

Thanks for that photo Caitlin. I felt myself relax just looking at it.

 

[Caitlin]

Welll... just one more photo of 5 acres in St Michaels that my sister and I co-own. This is 3 miles from the capitol of Window Rock where I lived during my youth. I have a photo of that I took in 1955 but I'll spare you since it is so off topic...... I think I would do quite well in Mongolia and Siberia in the summer........

 

[GemGeek]

Great property! Of course San Diego has some nice weather...

 

[Nerida]

Beautiful place, Caitlin! No wonder you don't like crowds! If you go to India again, try to get up to the mountains, they are breathtaking! And quiet! Try to go to China though with your daughter - it really is fascinating, and changing amazingly fast. Gemgeek, I spent 3 days in San Diego about 7 years ago - it reminded me a lot of Brisbane, my home town! Lovely weather, easy city.

 

[Amrita]

FWP, China and India!

FWP, China and India!

As a bit of an overawed novice who loves to lurk around on this amazing pearl forum and learn learn learn, I was intrigued enough by all the fascinating posts in this thread to post an itsy-bitsy note of my own... I am from India and live in China, and love pearls! Whatever has been said about China and India here is so true - and so are all the things that have been said about buying pearls in China.

India is a paradox that is complicated and not so easy to understand even for a native like myself - but it is fascinating and beautiful, nevertheless. I think the same can be said for China, which has been my adopted home for 9 years now. There is never a dull moment here. Indian success that we see today lies in the creativity, ingenuinity and entreprenuership of its individual citizens (without much governmental support), while Chinese success lies in the disciplined governmental planning and implementation without much question from the public.

Anyway, I do love pearls, especially the CFWP. Beijing Hongqiao is a must-do trip for anyone visiting Beijing and wanting pearls. While most pearls are not top quality, there are nevertheless gems to be found. Zhuji is the "mecca" of freshwater pearls, and the Shanxiahu market is where the Beijing dealers get their pearls from. But the visit to the Zhuji market is an eye (and mouth) opener for sure!

Will post more here, once I gather courage for another post!

Compliments to all here,

Amrita
www.harmonypearls.com

 

[GemGeek]

Welcome Amrita! You come from a very rich history. Indians are resourceful and soooo creative. Indian jewelry is a weakness, as is Indian food, particularly bread. I used to make chapatis and parathas all the time when I lived in Nigeria.

Everyone here is interested in the market in China, so if you have any stories, feel free to post them.

 

[Amrita]

Thank so much for the warm welcome, GemGeek! Ah, so you have lived in Nigeria - for how long and how long ago, may I ask? I love chappatis and parathas too, and still make them!

China is an interesting country to live in, especially now when so much is happening all the time. My city Tianjin which is close to Beijing (a drive of about an hour and a half) is like a huge construction site these days with everything being spruced up to be ready before August when the Olympics begin. It is rather maddening, but it is also heartwarming to know how much the Chinese are keen to impress their august August guests!

I think the spirit of the Olympics and my philosophy (having worked in an international school here as administrator for 7 years) are actually quite similar. I do truly believe that the world is a family and can be brought closer still through international outfits, be it business, educational institutions, charitable foundations and so on.

Doing business here can be fun or exasperating, depending on your perspective, sense of humor and your language proficiency (very important!). I enjoy the negotiations with Chinese pearl merchants/farmers whether it is in Beijing or in Zhuji, and apart from the fact that they are appreciative of my communication with them in their language, they do enjoy doing it all in a lively and humorous manner. My sources are all in Zhuji and even if I do not speak their local dialect, it hasn't really affected our communication as all of them there (and actually everywhere in China) speak Mandarin or Putonghua!

Cheers,

Amrita

www.harmonypearls.com
www.beyondfrontiers.net